(Taken from http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2014/12/12/kyle-lowry-trickle-effect-demar-derozans-absence/)
Ever since the Raptors have gotten good – and really good – I’ve been noticing many people saying that the Raptors needed to find a player that could take the Raptors further than the first round in the playoffs. In other words, “It,” as Paul Pierce kindly reminded us as his Wizards swept the Raptors last year.
There’s no doubt that the Raptors need to win and they need to win now, given their immense talent and their recruitment of DeMarre Carroll and Bismack Biyombo during the offseason. But every year there’s always a frenzy near the trade deadline day in every league, not just in the NBA. Which begs the question: Why?
Maybe it’s the urgency of the situation, the fact that once the deadline passes, you can’t make any trades until the end of the season. The deadline gives that false sense of panic, the urge for people to barge into the discussion like they’re at a board meeting, feeling like they have to say something for the sake of saying something.
But don’t feel like you need to do that. Although there are examples of teams getting it done on deadline day (The David Price deal springs immediately into mind, never mind the fact that he kinda left after his deal was done), but there have been much more examples of deadline deals done for all the wrong reasons.
Take 2003, for example, when Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks was traded to Seattle in a deal that centered around an aging Gary Payton. On paper, it looked… odd. In reality, it just looked bad on the GMs part. Or take 2011, when the Clippers traded Baron Davis and a first rounder for Jamario Moon and Mo Williams. The first rounder ended up being first overall, as Cleveland drafted Kyrie Irving with the first pick. Can you imagine Blake Griffin and Kyrie Irving tearing up the court? Oh dear…
The point isn’t that trades shouldn’t be made right on the deadline. If the cards fall the right way, full advantage needs to be taken. But if the cards show something else, that there isn’t a good chance of improving your hand, it’s often best to move on and don’t do anything rash. Let the players take control of the situation and make their magic work in the postseason.
Fanbase One 